Mod 4 - Extend Trial

RE; Exhibition of Modification Request
Cultural Events Site, North Byron Parklands
APPLICATION No. MP 09_0028 MOD 4

Date, 27/03/2017

<REDACTED> OCEAN SHORES NSW 2483

To Minister of Planning,

I am disappointed that Parklands (PL) are making this request for a modification and wish to register my total disapproval of it.
I wish to raise the following as my objections to the Modification.
Firstly there are clear alternatives available to PL that make the Modification unnecessary and an inappropriate alternative.
When Parklands accepted the ruling of the PAC (Planning Assessment Commission), and signed it, they knowingly were aware that when the Trial Process was over the authority for changes lay with the local Councils. The PAC STATED clearly that, "outdoor events following the trial period will require approval from the Council under part 4 of the EP&A Act".
PL's request is a request to override and sidestep a condition they knowingly knew as one of their conditions. Quite simply, this request should not even be being considered by the minister. It is now in the domain of the local Councils by definition of the PAC conditions.
I also wish to raise the concern of the Tweed Byron LAC (police) which has thrown serious concerns for safety at the PL site. Also as a resident I wish to express my concerns with issues of grave concern to local residents in respect to illegal camping (including camping in state forest with all the consequences of that ), antisocial behaviour and traffic problems as a result of an inadequate infrastructure to accommodate the numbers being requested.
It is time PL became accountable to the local community, as is the adjoining festival site, Bluesfest, and the written conditions of the PAC to which PL ha signed should be adhered to.

Yours sincerely,

<REDACTED>

I would love to support the 20 month extension to the Park-lands trial. I feel this brings in so much tourism to the area and is great for the local businesses and employees for casual work which is awesome for this area where employment is so critical.
The area i feel truly benefits from having these events Splendour and Falls festivals.
Thank you for your time in listening.
Kind Regards

RE; Exhibition of Modification Request
Cultural Events Site, North Byron Parklands
APPLICATION No. MP 09_0028 MOD 4

Date, 27/03/2017

I <REDACTED> of <REDACTED> OCEAN SHORES
wish to register my objection to Parklands (PL) being given this modification.
I am objecting because I feel that for PL to be given this modification would be to reward `bad behaviour'.
Numerous breaches of the current consent conditions have occurred.
These breaches have been documented in the minutes of Parklands' Regulatory Working Group, in Parklands' own performance reports, by resident groups (who have done their own monitoring), and very occasionally by the Department of Planning.
Parklands has had ongoing problems with traffic, off-site impacts on residents' amenity, and more. Noise has been an ongoing issue. Noise breaches were common early on, but after an increase in the noise limits was allowed (making compliance much easier) breaches still occurred. Also, the NSW Police recently submitted a report on Splendour 2016 to the DOP, raising concerns about on-site safety, emergency evacuation, and more.
Allowing a lengthy extension in the face of so many problems cannot be justified. The proposed extension would reward Parklands for a job NOT well done.
The time has come when the conditions of the PAC (Planning Assessment Commission) are adhered to. That is, as set out in the agreement accepted by PL, "outdoor events following the trial period will require approval from the Council under part 4 of the EP&A Act".
The time has come for PL to become accountable to the local community and to do what is expected from them and to work with the local community that they are part of. They have had the benefit of state government in getting established and to help them find their feet. Five years was the time given and now it's time to begin working in a partnership.
I fervently hope that you will stand by the PAC conditions of the original conditions of PL approval and deny this modification.
Yours with respect,

<REDACTED>

I agree with the submission and support the Arts and live music.

This venue and all the events that have been held at Parklands have simply added to our community in so many valuable ways. Employment, cultural diversity, tourism...the list goes on. Overall the key word is add. This site and the various events held have added to the makeup of what is a colourful shire. I pray that we have not only the insight but the fortitude to hold onto and support what is and has and Im sure will continue to work for this community. I strongly support this submission for an extension to the trial period. Id support even more a final and absolute decision to approve Parklands as a permant cultural event site.

I support festivals on this site as I belive the organizers take very good care of the site. Im one of the stallholders and I have to admit that we are being checked constatly regarding environment impact which I belive is next to nil.

Its a great place for people to have a fun and I belive it should be kept as festival site for future years

G'day Department of Planning

I object to you (or others like the Minister) granting the Request to extend the trial period of this development, on several grounds including the following:

1. this trial was forced on us with a time limit. The developer had 5 full years to prove that the impacts were acceptable. They aren't acceptable so far - no more trial is needed. The event should cease and authorities then assess its impacts, before any further activity takes place. Is that not the meaning of a 'trial'? Please realise that the impacts are massive and their continuing after 5 years will load the outcome of the trial: ie, once so much damage has been done, there will be no environment or society left to salvage.

2. a trial period of 5 years was set by negotiation including with local community. Many residents are sick of events at Parklands already and especially sick of the developer's continual push for expansion. If they had focused on the Approval granted instead of on expanding the business and wiping out opposition, they'd want assessment at the end of year 5 followed by a ruling on their application for permanency.

3. there is no justification to claim that a 6.5 year period will yield a better trial than the original 5 years? The extension is sought for business purposes, not planning purposes. It defeats the fact of the approval for a trial.

3. this application is another abuse of the planning system that your Department administers. Please administer this 'trial' correctly, in the spirit of the word 'try' or 'test'. After the trial there must be an assessment. After the assessment, the activity can restart or cease. If it cannot be interrupted for assessment, then the trial was a fake.

4. I live 12 km from the event site and have to put up with its noise (greatest impact at night) when wind and weather conditions are (for me) unfavourable.

5. what then are the impacts of that noise on wildlife closer to the site? Has this been assessed and how is it assessed? The site straddles a wildlife corridor, as identified in previous (1990s) court cases about the site.

6. the tolerance by authorities of negative impacts (as yet unknown because this is a 'trial') on the environment is a really poor message to send to 50,000 young Australians gathered at such events. They deserve better models of behaviour.

7. during events my normal life is interrupted by the area being overloaded with visitors. Roads get jammed with traffic, much of it with drivers lost and pondering where to go. Mobile phone service is ruined. And I have no confidence that, if there were an emergency amongst us, the responding authorities would remain available to me.

8. within the site, there are severe risks of flood and fire catastrophes due to the crowding. Both emergencies peak in mid-summer: New Years Day can be the end of a long dry Spring and is also the beginning of the cyclone season.

9. I protest that this development be assessed as a Major Project. Events should be scaled such that it is not a Major Project and the proposal or this modification assessed by the local Council.

Yours sincerely, Duncan Dey

I support the extension request for the Cultural Events site. I have not had any problems with traffic or noise from activities at the North Parklands site. I have driven past a number of times over 3 years and have found the last time, 2016, traffic lanes for driving through have been much better; the year before had improved and thus 2016, easy. I was told, don't drive past Splendour, go the highway. For me to go the highway was longer and I wanted to drive to Pottsville via the Wooyung road, which I did, deciding I'm going to give it a go via Brunswick Valley Way and so glad I did each time and year, as I was away from the mad highway traffic too!
Also, I am pleased that the great running cross country event was held there 2016. This is a really good for that and all the other smaller events which are planned to be held there. Jillian Spring

The events at NBP provide enormous benefit to the local community by way of tourism, jobs and international exposure.
The owners have undertaken extraordinary efforts at significant cost to ensure the property is one of, of not the most, environmentally sustainable event spaces in the world.
The events held at NBP currently run (collectively) for approximately 1 week.
I cannot comprehend how there can be any opposition to an environmentally friendly event that provides joy to thousands, encourages the showcasing of a significant number of local artists, creates many jobs for the surrounding communities, supports the local communities and cleans up after itself.
I suggest maybe those against the events are those whom believe much the same way as the events owners but, rather than inviting thousands to enjoy this wonderful part of the world, are selfishly wanting to block access to anyone wishing to visit. In doing so, I believe they are the ones against, community spirit, creation of local jobs and the importance of cultural events benefiting the region.

Great for the Coast.

Would really love to see these events grow , improve, and stay as part of this area.

RE; Exhibition of Modification Request Cultural Events Site, North Byron Parklands APPLICATION No. MP 09_0028 MOD 4
I, ...................... of North Ocean Shores am disappointed that Parklands is making this request for a modification and wish to register my total disapproval of it.
I wish to raise the following objections to the modification:
Firstly, parklands have had five years to work around the dates they were given,
so it's peculiar that they are only considering this now. Further to this, there are clear alternatives available to Parklands that make the modification unnecessary and inappropriate. When Parklands accepted the ruling of the Planning Assessment Commission, they were well aware that when the trial process was over, the authority for changes lay with the local Councils. The commission clearly outlined that, "outdoor events following the trial period will require approval from the Council under part 4 of the EP&A Act". This means that Parklands request, is a request to override and sidestep a condition they accepted at the outset so it should not even be considered by the minister. By definition of the Planning Assessment Commission, it is now in the domain of the local Councils.
Secondly, I wish to raise the concern of the Tweed Byron LAC (police) which has highlighted serious concerns for safety at the Parklands site, as well as issues about evacuation processes, site access, traffic and parking. There is inadequate infrastructure in place to deal with current numbers of patrons, let alone an increase to 50,000. These concerns need to be comprehensively addressed.
Thirdly, as a local resident I wish to express my deep seated unease in respect to illegal camping (including camping in the adjacent nature reserve which has a higher conservation value than a national park), antisocial behaviour in our adjacent community and massive, on-going accommodation problems as a result of the influx of huge numbers of people.
Fourthly, the North Byron Parklands site is zoned Rural. How has this simple fact has been so blatantly and continuously contravened?
It is time Parklands became accountable to the local community and listened to the local residents who chose to make this their home. They should be made to adhere to all the written conditions of the Planning Assessment Commission in the same way the other festival site in the shire Bluesfest does, without being given any preferential treatment.
Yours sincerely, .................................
30/03/2017

Parklands offers a space to shine a spotlight on the local creative industries and this is something that enriches our community and ties with the creative world.

North Byron Parklands supports jobs in the local area
I support what they are doing

I have attended a number of events at this sight with my kids (17 and 14) and friends. These memories will stay with me and I hope to continue to enjoy future events at this magnificent location. Both my boys are keen to work at the site - my year 11 student son is doing an 'Entertainment' unit at Byron High part of which (he is hopeful) includes working behind the scenes at Splendour.
Both my wife and I have worked at this festival. In a region where employment can be difficult, these events provide regular work for a lot of folks. And it is a creative industry which is ethically positive (as opposed to an industry such as fracking)

I think that there should be an extension of time for the Nth Byron Parklands to complete their submission to become a state significant development.

As an occasional worker in the ecological restoration of the site at North Byron Parklands, I think the importance of the work being carried out at this site should not be overlooked. The Northern Rivers is awash with degraded land which landowners are not taking responsibility for. Having seen first hand the amazing transformation this site has undertaken in the past 10 years is exciting. The owners of the land should be highly commended on the responsibility they have taken as ecological custodians of this precious land.

I have worked on the North Byron Parklands site since 2007, employed to undertake ecological restoration works. I support the extension of the trial (as requested with no added event days, numbers etc) until a final decision has been made on the permanent approval of the event site.

Patrons at the events over the years have contributed to planting many thousands of trees and will continue to do so in the coming events if allowed to proceed via a trial extension. I personally do not believe previous events have caused significant issues which would prevent a trial extension to be granted. Working for the Parklands management, I have gained respect for the way they have worked with the community to balance the various stakeholder needs.

As an environmental contractor we have planted thousands of trees and by extending the process we will be able to continue our improvement through revegetation and weed control securing environmental restoration now and into the future.

I give my full support to give the North Byron Park Lands a permanent permit, I have worked on both Falls and Splendour in the grass, both these festivals bring employment and culture to N.S.W, and should be given full support by the government!